Conveyer.



No. 698,822. Patented Apr. 29, I902.

G. W. CROSS;

- GONVEYER.

(Application filed Sept. 9. 1901A Witnegses 5 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

GEORGE W. CROSS, OF CARBONDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 698,822, dated April29, 1902.

Application filed September 9, 1901. Serial No. 74,712. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. Oaoss, a citizen of the United States,residing at Garbondale, in the county of Lackawanna and State ofPennsylvania, have invented'a certain new and useful Improvement inConveyers, of which the following'is a description.

This invention relates to con veyers for moving materialsuch as coal,ore, stone, &c. and to that type of such conveyors in which is employedan endless chain or chains to which are connected flights or bucketswhich receive and move the material.

The object of the invention is to provide a mechanism which shallconsist of few parts having maximum strength and which shall be capableof ready and easy adjustment and substitution of worn parts withoutdismantling and practically reorganizing the structure.

As an embodiment of the invention Ishall describe that form in which itis used for moving material in a horizontal or slightlyinclined plane.In conveyors of this character it is common to employastationary chute,endless chains, and flights driven by said chains and operating withinsaid chute. The material is fed to the chute through a hopper andcarried along therein by means of the flights to the desired point. Inapparatus of this character many important requirements are present,including the necessity for maximum strength in the conveyer-flights,capacity to resist the wearing and disrupting influence due to the.conveying operation, provision for the ready removal of worn parts, andthe substitution of new parts therefor..

In carrying out my invention as applied to a flight conveyer, as abovereferred to, Iemploy the usual frame, driving-sprockets, and chute, thelatter having,preferably,aflat bottom and inclined sides. Above thischute operate the chains driven by said sprockets, and secured atsuitable intervals to such chains are flights, each preferably made of asingle plate of sheet-steel, substantially U- shaped in form, so as tocomprise a main operative portion coacting with the flat bottomof thechute, sides arranged substantially at right angles to such main portionand provided with means of attachment to the drivechains, andoutwardly-extending ends sub stantially parallel with said main portion,such ends projecting over theinclined sides of the chute and their underedges being beveled or cut away in order that the under edges of theflight as a whole may maintain intimate contact with the working face ofthe chute.

Conveyor-flights constructed as indicated herein have been found toovercome many serious defects in flights heretofore employed. The latterhave consisted of straight metallic sheets or plates secured tothedrivingchains and extending not only over the bottom of the chute, butto some extent over the inclined sides thereof. Not only do flights soconstructed lack'necessary durability, but

due to the resilience of the metal or to the weight of the materialbeing conveyed they frequently become bent and disarranged, with theresult that they fail'to catch and move the desired quantity ofmaterial. Again, it frequently happens that a portion of the material isforced up the inclined side of the chute, whence it escapes. In the useof the 'U-shaped flights of this invention the main operative portionwhich coacts with the bottom of the chute receives the major part of thewear of the material. This portion is strengthened by the right-angledsides, which are secured to the drive-chains, and the ends of theflight, which are substantially parallel with the main portion,extendpart or all of the way up the inclined sides of the chute, servingthereby not only to conduce to the rigidity of the flight as a whole,but also to direct the particles riding on such inclined sides towardthe center of theflight. Flights so constructed not only avoid thedefects hereinbefore referred to in preexistent structures, but becauseof the more perfect support'and the more even distribution of the wearare stiffer and require less frequent renewal.

In the drawings, Figure l is-an end view, partly in section,illustrating a conveyor embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is-aplan view of a portion of the conveyer, chains, and flights; and Fig. 3is a perspective View illustrating one of the flights.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters denote correspondingparts, A designates the metallic chute, having the bottom a and inclinedsides a 0, This chute is preferably made in sections in order tofacilitate the removal of Worn parts and substitution of new partstherefor. Within this trough operate the flights B, carried by thedrive-chains O D. The drive-chains O D are here shown as comprisingalternate one-part and twopart links, certain of these being providedwith straps c d, to which the flights are socured, as hereinafterdescribed.

Each of the. flights B is, as before indicated, preferably made of anintegral sheet of steel bent into the desired form in any suitablemanner. Each comprises a main operative portion b, arranged'at rightangles to the chute and of substantially the same width as the bottom ofsaid chute. Each has two sides 1) arranged at substantially right anglesto the portion 19, and therefore in a plane parallel with the longitudeof the chute. The ends of the flight are bent outwardly in a planesubstantially at right angles to the sides I), and thereforesubstantially parallel with the main portion b of the flight. The strapsccZ depend from the chains 0 D and are separated by a spacesubstantially the same as the distance between the sides of each flight.Said straps and the sides I) of the flights are provided withperforations to receive bolts by means of which the flights are securedto said straps. The under edges of the ends 12 of the flights are cutaway or beveled to coincide with the inclined sides a of the chute. Theunder edge of the entire flight coincides, therefore, with the workingsurface of the chute.

It is obvious that flights constructed as herein indicated have greatstilfness and rigidity and that their capacity is limited only by theirdepth-'1J. 6., the distance between the main portion 17 and the ends 17Their capacity is increased, however, by the ends I) serving not only tostiffen the flights, but also to guide material fed into the chutetoward the U-shaped portion of the flights.

, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a conveyer, the combination with a chute, of a U-shaped flightcoacting therewith, the side members of said flight lying substantiallyparallel with said chute, substantially as described.

2. In a conveyer, the combination with a chute, of U-shaped flightscoacting therewith, the members of said flightlying substantiallyparallel with said chute, the under edges of said flights conforminggenerally to the shape of said chute, substantially as described.

3. In a conveyer, the combination with a chute having inclined sides, ofU-shaped flights coacting with said chute and carried by chains,themembers of said flight lying substantially parallel with said chute,substantially as described.

4. In a conveyer, the combination with a chute, of chains, and a flightcomprising a main operative portion at right angles to said chute andsides arranged in a plane substantially parallel with said chute andconnected with said chains, substantially as described.

5. In a conveyer, the combination with a chute, of chains and a flightcomprising a main operative portion at right angles to said chute andsides lying substantially parallel with the plane of said chute andsecured directly to said chains, substantially as described.

6. In a conveyer, the combination with a chute, of chains and 'a flightcomprising a main operative portion at right angles to said chute andsides lying substantially parallel with the plane of said chute andsecured to said chains, the under edges of said flights conforminggenerally to the shape of said chute, substantially as described.

7. In a conveyor, the combination with a chute, of chains and a flightcomprising a main operative portion at right angles to said chute, sidessecured to said chains and outwardly-projecting ends, substantially asde= scribed.

8. In a conveyer, the combination with a chute having inclined sides, ofchains and a flight comprising a main operative portion at right anglesto said chute, sides secured to said chains and outwardly-projectingends beveled to coincide with the incline of the sides of said chute,substantially as described.

9. An integral U-shaped conveyer-flight havinga main operative portionand sides at an angle thereto, and means for securing such sides todriving-chains so as to dispose such flight in a plane substantiallyparallel with the plane of the chute coacting therewith, sub stantiallyas described.

10. An integral U-shaped conveyer-flight and means for securing thesides thereof directly to driving-chains, so as to dispose said flightin a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the chute coactingtherewith, sub stantially as described.

11. A conveyer-flight comprising a main operative portion, sidessubstantially at right angles thereto and outwardly-projecting ends,substantially as described.

12. A conveyer-flight comprising a main op= erative portion, sidessubstantially at right angles thereto and outwardly-proj ecting ends,substantially parallel with said main portion, as set forth.

13. Aconveyer-flightcomprisingama-inoperative portion, sidessubstantially at right angles thereto and outwardly-projecting ends,having beveled under edges, substantially as described.

14. A conveyor-flight comprising a main op; erative portion, sidessubstantially at right angles thereto and outwardly-projecting endssubstantially parallel with said main portion, and having beveled underedges, substantially as described;

15. An integral conveyer-flight comprising a main operative portion,sides substantially at right angles thereto, means for attaching saidsides to driving-chains and outwardlyprojecting ends, substantiallyparallel with said main portion, as set forth. 10

This specification signed and witnessed this 5th day of September, 1901.

GEORGE W. CROSS.

Witnesses:

H. T. WOODWARD, E, D. YARRINGTON.

